1. Field
Embodiments disclosed herein relate to a surgical robot system that monitors signals transmitted within the system to prevent malfunction of a slave device and a control method thereof.
2. Description of the Related Art
Minimally invasive surgery generally refers to surgical methods which may minimize the size of an incision. Different from laparotomy, which uses a relatively larger surgical incision through a part of a human body (e.g., the abdomen), in minimally invasive surgery, an incision size is minimized. For example, in minimally invasive surgery, after forming at least one small port (or incision) of about 0.5 cm-1.5 cm through the abdominal wall, an operator inserts an endoscope and a variety of surgical instruments through the port, to perform surgery while viewing an image.
Compared to laparotomy, minimally invasive surgery has several advantages, such as lower pain after surgery, an earlier recovery, an earlier restoration of ability to eat, a shorter hospitalization, a more rapid return to daily life, and superior cosmetic effects owing to a smaller incision size relative to laparotomy procedures. Accordingly, minimally invasive surgery has been used in a variety of procedures, including gall resection, prostate cancer, and herniotomy operations, etc, and the use range thereof increasingly expands.
In general, a surgical robot system used in minimally invasive surgery includes a master device and a slave device. The master device generates a control signal corresponding to an operator's (e.g., a doctor's) manipulation to transmit the control signal to the slave device. The slave device receives the control signal from the master device to perform manipulation required for a surgical operation to be performed on a patient. The master device and the slave device may be integrated with each other, or may be separately arranged in an operating room.
The slave device generally includes at least one robot arm provided at an end thereof with a surgical instrument. In this case, each robot arm and each surgical instrument are operated in response to a control signal transmitted from the master device. If the control signal transmitted from the master device has a problem, the robot arm and the surgical instrument may malfunction, causing severe patient injury.